


a fire deep down below

by lizook12



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Found Family, Future Fic, Jim "Chief" Hopper Lives, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-11 14:30:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 675
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19929613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizook12/pseuds/lizook12
Summary: As though they all hadn’t just gone through hell to get him back.





	a fire deep down below

**Author's Note:**

> Companion piece to _the ones you don't see coming_ , but can be read as a standalone, too. Title once again taken from Sugarland's _Not the Only_.

She’s not sure what she hates more: the antiseptic smell or the harsh lighting that permeates the room. 

The whole damn building. 

It has undamaged wings though and a seemingly reliable staff, at least that’s what she’s gathered over the last five hours. 

Still, another fucking hospital. 

And hell if she was going to let them tell her that there was a goddamn limit on how many people can crowd into his room. 

As though they all hadn’t just gone through hell to get him back. 

As if they weren’t a fucking family.

She fists the pack of cigarettes in her pocket and releases a shaky breath. Maybe she can sneak out to the parking lot later, but she can’t even consider moving at the moment. 

The room is relatively still now, at least in comparison to when they all poured in, the boys fighting over chairs and space until she ordered them to the table near the window.

Her seat is jammed in the corner just inside the door to the room while El is stationed at the head of the bed. 

Has been the entire time. 

Joyce knows they both need it to be that way. Wants the girl to have that space.

Hop’s been out cold for the most part, save the occasional mumble of his daughter’s name or an inventive new curse. 

The upside down forced him to be resourceful, she guesses. 

It had to have for him to survive all this time. To still look relatively like himself.

Yes, his hair is long and wild—she cannot wait for him to be conscious enough to comment on _that_ —and he looks like he’s gone twelve rounds with Stallone, but… 

But after the slightly hysterical _fucking finally_ he’d grunted when they found him, he’d thrown his arm over El’s shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead, his eyes meeting hers over the rest of the kids’ heads before he doubled over and chaos ensued. 

She’s not even entirely sure how they got here, everything’s a blur—she should be exhausted, passed out on the tray table beside her—but she can’t stop watching the rise and fall of his chest, the way El continues messing with the tv channels in search for just the right background noise. 

“Mom?” Jonathan’s voice startles her and she tears her gaze away from the bed to find her boys plus Dustin and Mike hovering near the door. “Nancy went down for coffee, we’re going to go, too; see if there’s any actual food. Do you want anything?” 

“No, honey, I’m good.” She rolls her shoulders, toys with the package of cigarettes again before pulling out a crumpled ten dollar bill. “Get whatever you need though.” 

“K. We’ll be back soon.” He squeezes her shoulder and slips out of the room, the door latching softly behind them.

“Ugggh, did he have to slam it?” Jim’s voice is rough, whether from lack of use or shouting she can’t begin to guess, but she bites back a smile as she turns to face his bed once more.

His eyes are half open, jaw clenched in pain. 

He’s radiates fatigue and is still mostly out of it, but he’s here. 

_He’s here._

She pushes out of the chair, quickly covering the distance between her spot and his pillow. “Just be glad El overruled MTV hours ago, it was giving me a headache.” She smiles down at him and then her… yes, still her daughter, too… before turning back to him. “Hi.”  


It sounds small. 

_Is_ too small for everything between them, but it’s a start. 

“Hi.” His hand slides over hers, fingers twisting together as El pulls a book from the bag Steve dropped by hours ago and settles on the bed at his feet. “Do you think the coffee’s any good?” 

She laughs and sinks into the newly vacant seat by the bed, her thumb sweeping over his knuckles as El begins to read. “Nancy stared after the stranger and wondered what he could have meant….” 

**Author's Note:**

> So I really wanted the book reference to be something Joyce may have loved growing up and wanted to share with El. While looking around in children's & ya lists, I stumbled on Harry Potter and got really excited until I reminded myself it was 1985ish and, thus, that didn't work. I ended up settling on Nancy Drew because I can see Joyce escaping into a world where she gets to be the protagonist and figure things out on her own, and wanting to share that with El. 
> 
> The last line is directly taken from Nancy Drew #6: _The Secret of Red Gate Farm_ , which I borrowed from the library just for this occasion.


End file.
